The First Eclipse
by Okami SonicChaos
Summary: The young Amaterasu brought happiness everywhere she went, the power of the sun bringing joy and hope to all who gazed upon her. All, that is, except for a mysterious figure watching from the cover of the Celestial Plain's forests...


The sun rose to an eerie calm over the Celestial Plain.

Typically, at this hour, the fields of the divine realm would be bursting with life, air filled with the scent of cherry blossoms carried among a calm, peaceful breeze as the denizens of the plain woke below. One would usually hear the sweet melodies of songbirds as they sung to the rising sun, that golden orb a beacon of life as its rays shone out past the great palace that stood on the eastern edge of the high heavens. Within that great palace, the father of creation would usually be awake, striding to his balcony to watch over the peaceful beauty below as the divine realm burst into life.

Today, however, there was no scent of cherry blossoms, no peaceful breeze, no songbirds. The Celestial Plain was an eerie calm, its residents aware that something overnight had changed, some strange supernatural force at work. And within the great pagoda that overlooked the rising sun, the great god Izanagi was not to be found at his balcony, overlooking the world below.

The father of creation stood in his bathchamber, staring at his reflection in the mirror, the terror from the previous nights events still fresh in the god's mind. Indeed, Izanagi knew exactly what it was that cast that dark aura over the peaceful heavens, what had transpired to bring such evil into this world. In his mind, the disfigured spirit of a once-beautiful maiden haunted him, the phantom that was responsible for rising darkness.

Izanami. His deceased wife, whom he had tried to bring back from the afterlife. That had been before he had seen how she had changed. Though only dead for a matter of days, her spirit appeared as that of a rotting corpse, a sight that filled even the greatest of the heavenly gods with dread and horror. So overcome by his terror, he had fled the land of the dead as fast as he could, abandoning his beloved to the cold world below, to her anger.

So enraged she was that she had sent the creatures of that dead world to take him, to make him join her in that forsaken realm, her spirit even chasing after him personally. He had only barely managed to escape that realm just in time, sealing it away with a boulder to protect the world of the living from whatever monsters his wife could conjure.

Shaking his head, the great god focused again on his reflection, taking a cloth as he began to wash his face. After cleaning his eyes and nose, the god paused, a cry from behind him drawing his attention.

Turning around, the creation god looked for the source of the sound, finally finding the source as he looked down towards the floor. On the ground, where the residue from his face had fallen as he cleansed himself, sat three infants, young deities born by the combined power of Izanagi and the underworld.

A sudden surge of happiness coursed through the great god as he kneeled down to get a closer look at the young deities. Of the three, two were male, both with the same black hair color of their parents. As he looked closer, however, Izanagi soon saw the color was not exactly the same, the hair of one seeming to shimmer a silver light, as if reflecting the moon, and the other with streaks of dark blue, the color the ocean in a storm. Already the power of the young gods was beginning to reveal itself.

The third child was female, but what was most unusual was her hair, already grown to an unnatural length for her age and colored pure white. The young girl gave a cute smile at her father as he turned to her, her eyes shimmering a vibrant green, the young goddess seeming to radiate the light of the sun itself.

Izanagi found himself breathless as he realized the power of his newest children, the power over the celestial bodies that watched over this world. After a few moments, he looked back at his offspring, a small smile on his face.

He turned first to the brother with shimmering hair. "You reflect the light of the moon itself," he spoke, "You will be known as Tsukuyomi, and watch over this world from the tranquility of the night sky."

He turned to the second brother. "You carry the ferocity of the world's oceans with you," he continued, "You shall be called Susanoo, and rule the lands that lie deep within those blue depths."

The father of creation then looked at the white-haired girl, her form still radiating the same light as before. "And you," he said, "You carry the light of the sun itself. You shall shine down on this world from the heavens, bringing its people hope and life."

The young goddess smiled once again, the sun outside seemingly flaring in response.

"You are the great goddess that shines in heaven, Amaterasu-omikami."

* * *

Over the next few years, the young deities grew, slowly beginning to learn about the powers they possessed along with the world around them. Though all three showed the potential their divine strength possessed, none showed more than the young sun goddess. Everywhere she went, Amaterasu seemed to exude happiness and light, her very presence bringing a calm sense of joy to all who resided on the Celestial Plain.

To all, that is, except for a lone boy, hiding in the cover of the forests, just beyond the Celestial settlement. The young goddess's power had no effect on the boy, for this dark figure did not have the ability to feel happiness, or joy, or indeed any positive emotion whatsoever. He had been birthed from pure anger and malice, and it was only those emotions - rage and hatred, that he was capable of.

His mother had not told him who this little girl was, indeed, she had taught him little about the outside world other than that it was his to destroy, to turn into a dead husk for her to rule over for all of eternity.

"The light is a lie, Yami," she had told him, during his first days in the darkness of the spirit realm, "The gods of the divine land may seem kind, may seem to be the good beings those foolish Celestials believe them to be, but it all an illusion."

She had paused after that, the walls of the afterlife shaking with her anger. "They only seek to further their own power, maintain their rule over the world of the living. As soon as you jeopardize that power, you shall see them for what they truly are."

As he watched the young goddess run off into the woods, chasing after a small rabbit, a plan started to form in the boy's mind. Whoever this girl was, she was clearly important to the Celestials and the other gods. Indeed, she seemed to cast off the same false light that accursed orb in the sky did. Were she to fall, it would be devastating to the rest of the divine realm… and they would be that much easier to destroy. Better yet, she was young, too innocent to suspect any evildoing.

His dark mind racing, the beginnings of a plan began to form in Yami's mind, a wicked grin appearing on his face.

Elsewhere in the woods, Amaterasu chased after the young Yumigami as fast as she could, the latter's rabbit form quick and agile but not quick enough to completely outrun the speed granted by the sun goddess's powers. For a brief second, the girl paused, having momentarily lost sight of her prey in the distance, before seeing the golden rabbit leap out from a bush a ways ahead, the animal seemingly winking playfully at her before darting off once more.

Quickly, the goddess gave chase, sprinting after the creature. Suddenly, she heard a rustle in the foliage beside her, briefly turning towards the sound. Distracted, the girl tripped over a conveniently placed tree branch, landing hard on the ground, momentarily dazed.

After a few moments, she returned to her senses, looking back out in the direction her prey had run off towards. Yumigami was nowhere to be seen, the rabbit having lost her completely. Grimacing, the goddess started to get up, suddenly hearing that rustling again from the bushes. Turning, she saw the form of a young boy, probably around the same age as her, exiting from the foliage to approach her.

"I saw you fall," he said, offering a hand to help her up. "Are you alright?"

Amaterasu gave him a small smile, grabbing his hand as she pulled herself up. Quickly, she brushed the dirt off her clothes, slightly annoyed at her own clumsiness. Had she not fallen, surely she would've caught that darned rabbit…

She shook her head, clearing her mind as she focused on the boy who had helped her up. "I'm okay," she finally said, giving him a reassuring smile. "I'm Amaterasu."

"Yami," the boy replied, returning the smile. He paused for a moment. "So, what were you doing? You seemed to be running pretty fast."

"I was playing with my friend Yumigami," she replied, cheerfully, "She can turn into a rabbit, you see. I was trying to catch her. I would've caught her this time, too…"

Yami looked away briefly, towards where the rabbit had run off towards, trying to feign interest. "Sounds like fun," he said, rolling his eyes before turning back towards the goddess. "Are there any rules?"

The goddess gave him a mischievous grin. "Yeah," she said, taking a few steps towards him. Suddenly, she reached out, touching the side of his arm with her hand before turning and running away.

The boy looked back at her in shock, a bit confused by what had just occurred. "You're it!" he heard her shout, the girl already getting a considerable head start. After another moment, he sprung into action, sprinting after the sun goddess as fast as he could for the first of many times.

They chased each other like that for what seemed like hours, alternating who chased who, the forests surrounding the Celestial settlement filled with the sound of children's laughter. After managing to tag the sun goddess, Yami found himself sprinting away through the forest, the girl's divine speed keeping her dangerously close.

As he ran from the young girl, doubts began to cross his mind as he thought of the fate he was going to bring to the young goddess. His mother had said that all the gods merely sought power, that their appearance of benevolence was but an illusion, that they must be eliminated for the mortal realm to live free. She had spoke of how the gods would intervene with mortal life, in some cases even forcing humans to follow a path they decided for them, taking away their free will.

Yet, the little girl chasing him certainly wasn't capable of all that wickedness… was she? She seemed so caring, so much so that the creatures of the forest seemed to be drawn to her, as if they knew she would bring them no harm. All the Celestials certainly seemed to be completely charmed by her kind heart and care-free spirit. He had seen how she would smile at them, how that simple expression seemed to bring happiness to all who saw it.

Certainly no being that kind could be as evil as his mother had said… Or was he falling for the same illusion Izanami had warned him about? Was the girl's caring nature all but an act, a curtain to distract from the powers she was capable of? Was this what the gods just wanted him to think?

As the boy's thoughts raced, conflicted, he suddenly felt himself falling, having tripped over a tree root while he had been distracted. Mere seconds later, he felt a hand tag his shoulder, turning around to see a grinning Amaterasu.

Her vibrant green irises seemed to sparkle as she laughed, offering a hand up like he had done for her earlier that day. "You're it."

Yami grabbed her hand, pulling himself up. "That's not fair," he replied, slightly annoyed at his bad luck. Regaining his bearings, the boy looked around at his surroundings, and tried to keep a smirk off his face as he realized where they had ended up. They had reached the edge of the forest, now at a small pond near the edge of the Celestial Plain. Thousands of feet below, the mortal world stood, seemingly oblivious to the divine realm that watched over them.

This would fit into his plan perfectly.

Amaterasu watched as he looked out over the edge of the divine realm, following his gaze towards the clouds off in the distance. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said, taking a couple of steps towards the edge to get a better view at the land below, "Down there, they all live peaceful lives. No strange powers to worry about, no responsibilities of being a goddess… Sometimes I wish I could just be one of them, and not have to worry about my father."

The boy stepped up next to her, looking back at her. A spark of hope grew within him. If she disagreed with her father, perhaps she was different from the other gods. Perhaps she could be spared, could be made to see how the gods divine intervention was _wrong…_

"He always talks about how special I am," she continued, "How it'll be my job to watch over them once he's gone." She paused for a moment, in thought. "I know he's right. Their lives are so simple, they couldn't defend themselves from the darkness." She looked away towards the ground. "They need us to protect them. But… being a goddess is so complicated sometimes."

Just as quickly as Yami had felt hope, his heart sunk. She was the same. Convinced that they must watch over humanity, must intervene whenever danger threatens them, must protect them as if the humans didn't have the ability to think and figure things out for themselves. They treated the mortals like little children, like they were beings completely incapable of surviving on their own, beings who needed constant observation and guidance rather than the creatures of free will humanity truly was.

Just like that, the all-too-familiar feeling of anger returned.

Amaterasu cried out in surprise as she suddenly felt herself being pushed, over the edge of her homeland. She screamed as she fell, the mortal land below appearing rapidly growing in size as she accelerated towards the ground.

She hit the ground with a loud thud, leaving her lying on her back, barely conscious, alive only due to her divine nature. Pain coursed through her as she tried to get up unsuccessfully. Though her divine essence had kept the fall from killing her, she was still too young, her powers too undeveloped to fully protect her, leaving her with several broken bones and other injuries.

The young goddess heard a second thud, tilting her head to see Yami. The boy had leapt down after her, but had managed to land on his feet, mostly uninjured, considering that he hadn't been shoved off like she had.

The boy looked at her, a gleam of darkness appearing in his eyes that she hadn't seen before, terror and confusion gripping the girl as she felt the shadowy aura coming from him. He had pushed her off, had meant for her to get hurt, perhaps even meant for her to die from the fall. Tears started to well in her eyes as she looked at him, betrayed.

"Why…?"

Yami turned away at her question, too guilty to bring himself to answer as he gathered his dark powers like his mother had taught him. "I'm sorry," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear, and then he released the energy, the dark force flowing out from him, manifesting itself into an impenetrable glass bowl as the boy transformed into his true form, the bowl solidifying around him just as his transformation finished.

Amaterasu could only watch in horror as the boy shifted into some weird fish-like creature, its body covered with runed markings like the divine markings she had, his glowing blue with malice rather than the warm crimson of hers.

The darkness manifested itself again, this time taking the shape of several pieces of armor, the metal moving into place around the glass sphere until only a tall, figure in jet-black armor stood in its place, Yami's true form hidden within the metal shell. Slowly, the figure walked towards her, darkness again manifesting, now in the form of a wicked halberd that he grabbed with his right hand.

As he raised the weapon in preparation for the killing blow, Yami saw the young goddess watching him with fear, crying at his betrayal and at what was about to come. Guilt welling up again within him, he could only look away as he brought the steel weapon down towards the goddess's head, bracing himself for her cry of pain.

It never came.

Instead, there was the sound of metal clashing, and the armored figure quickly turned back, shifting into a defensive stance just in time to block a series of strikes for a large katana.

Opposite him, the great warrior of the Moon Tribe, Yoshitomo prepared himself for another attack, his trusty blade ready to destroy this creature that dared to attempt to murder a young child.

The moon warrior didn't know exactly who the girl he had just saved was, but even in her fearful and traumatized state he could still sense the aura of light and hope she gave off. It was just as his son had seen in the visions that came to him in his dreams - this girl was the key the preventing this world from falling into darkness.

Putting his thoughts aside, Yoshitomo lunged at the metal creature, his katana a blur as he unleashed a rapid flurry of strikes against his foe. The armored figure was forced to back away, barely managing to deflect each blow, being too inexperienced at combat to react quickly enough to his opponent's speed.

Growling, Yami summoned the darkness again, reshaping the metal armor into the shape of a runed sphere. Immediately, he charged at the moon warrior, hoping to crush his opponent with the mass of his metal form.

Again, though, Yoshitomo was faster, rolling aside to easily dodge the attack, the sphere's momentum sending it hurdling past the place where the warrior had stood moments before, finally stopping once it collided with a large boulder.

As his opponent attempted to orientate itself, the moon warrior charged, channeling all his strength into a single strike across the center of the sphere. Yami roared in pain as the strike managed to pierce his metal shell, the force of the strike sending him flying back again into the boulder he had smashed into moments earlier.

Regaining his bearings, the dark lord floated for a moment, watching his opponent as both combatants waited for their next opportunity. His adversary was simply too experienced, Yami realized. For all of his dark powers, he was still young, too inexperienced at combat to match up against his foe and be confident in victory.

Retreating, the dark sphere floated upwards, away from the battle. There would be other opportunities to destroy the gods, chances that would reveal themselves once he learned to fight and make full use of his powers. The dark lord hovered in midair for a few more moments, as if reconsidering his plan of retreat, then flew away, soon nothing more than a single speck off in the distance.

* * *

Up on the Celestial Plain, Izanagi paced the halls of his palace worryingly. The sun was beginning to set, yet Amaterasu still had not yet returned home. She always arrived home before sunset. It was unusual for her to be this late, and despite the massive power the young goddess held, her father couldn't help but worry, his gut telling him that something was wrong.

Several minutes later, he headed towards the main door of the palace, intending to head out and search for her himself, unable to shake the feeling that something had happened to her. Reaching the giant doors, the great god swung them open, and immediately froze, both relieved and worried by the sight in front of him.

On the other side of the door, a man wearing the golden armor of the Moon Tribe stood, carrying a hurt and shaken Amaterasu in his arms. Upon seeing the state of his daughter, Izanagi summoned Yomigami to him, the dragon god immediately taking the girl from the warrior and bringing her into the palace to tend to her injuries, leaving her savior and the creation god alone.

"I owe you a debt of gratitude, moon warrior," Izanagi said, nodding in respect. He knew of the armored figure standing across from him. Even the residents of the Celestial Plain knew of the tales of the man wearing that ornate armor, the greatest of the Moon Tribe's warriors. "My daughter is more important to this world than you know, Minamoto no Yoshitomo. Thank you for keeping her safe."

"I'm glad I got there in time," Yoshitomo replied, "Were I but a moment later I fear the dark construct that attacked her would have succeeded in his terrible goal."

A chill went down the creation god's spine as the moon warrior told him of the dark creature that had attempted to kill his daughter. By all accounts, he had the appearance of some twisted god, wearing the same style of divine runes, albeit glowing a different shade of color. Immediately, his thoughts went to Izanami, of how she had threatened to destroy all he held dear, to turn the world into a dead wasteland. He had no doubt that this creature was her doing.

"Let us all be thankful that it did not succeed, then," the great god said, "For the death of Amaterasu would resign this world to the darkness." Izanagi paused, in thought. "I must ask, though. How did you know where to find her on the mortal realm?"

Yoshitomo glanced away for a moment before replying. "You have my son, Waka, to thank for that," he said, thinking back on the visions his son had told him about. "He has been gifted with the power of prophecy. It was he who warned me of the danger your daughter was in, and where to look."

"Then I thank you both," the god replied, "Consider yourself and your family to forever be friends of the Celestial Plain." He paused again before continuing. "If you ever find yourself in need, my door is always open to you."

Several years later, those same words echoed through Izanagi's head as he looked at the traumatized boy kneeling on the ground in the courtyard of the plain, the smouldering wreckage of the lunar vessel that had brought him here a clear indication that some great tragedy had occurred.

Suddenly, the boy shuddered, his eyes growing wide. Even from a distance, the creation god noticed the images that seemed to reflect in his eyes as the boy saw some sort of vision, and immediately, he knew who this child was. He turned to Yomigami, the god of restoration looking on at the scene along with the rest of the brush gods.

"Yomigami," Izanagi said, "Take the boy inside and treat his wounds. Make sure he is taken good care of." The dragon nodded in reply, carrying the boy into the palace, the creation god watching him as he did so.

The great god had sensed the calamity that had happened on the Lunar Plain, knew that most of the Moon Tribe had perished to whatever had brought destruction to the moon. But Yoshitomo's son had at least survived, and he would make sure that the boy would grow up safe to carry on his people's legacy.

It was, after all, the least he could do.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** This came out much longer than I intended it to, but there's a lot of story to tell here. For reference, this takes place almost immediately after the events in _Birth of Darkness_, and a couple of years before _Blood Moon_. Ammy is very young during this time, probably around 5 years old. Which seems really young for her to be off on her own like that, until you consider that all the Celestial Plain has ever known is peace and that she's the most powerful god of them all, though her full potential is yet to be unleashed at this point.

This story also gave me a chance to really sort of give Yami some additional character, which is something I really wanted to do as all we ever really see of him in the games is just a big metal sphere. Not much personality given to us at all, really - he just seems almost like some sort of cold, silent, evil artificial construct or something. Which is kind of cool in its own right, but considering that he's the big bad in the games over enemies that had much more buildup (a.k.a. Orochi), it seems like there could've been more to him than there was.

I also am aware that it's been quite some time since I've posted much of anything. I've been very preoccupied between work, college starting back up, and everything else I'm involved in, so I haven't had much time to write. Being at a bit of a loss for ideas for _For All Eternity_ certainly didn't help, either.

FAE will continue, hopefully sometime soon. Just depends on when I find the time to really sit down and crank out stories again.

Thanks for reading, and constructive feedback is always appreciated :)

Singing Wolf: Minamoto no Yoshisune was actually Yoshitomo's youngest son, if Waka was based of Yoshisune then this would be his father according to Japanese history.


End file.
